Dorado
Goldfish (Doradus)
Dorado, the Swordfish (or Dolphinfish), is a southern constellation containing a significant portion of the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors. Created by Dutch navigators in the late 16th century, Dorado offers some of the richest star fields and nebulae accessible to southern observers, including the spectacular Tarantula Nebula.
📜 Mythology
Dorado was created from observations made by Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman during their expedition to the East Indies (1595-1597). It was introduced by Petrus Plancius on his celestial globe of 1598. The constellation represents the dolphinfish or mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), a colorful ocean fish known for its spectacular colors when caught, not the swordfish as sometimes incorrectly stated.
💡 Facts
- ✦The Large Magellanic Cloud, our closest large galactic neighbor at 160,000 light-years, lies mostly within Dorado
- ✦The Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) in the LMC is the most active star-forming region in the Local Group
- ✦Supernova 1987A, the closest supernova observed since 1604, exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud within Dorado